Shutter construction

ABSTRACT

A shutter construction comprising a plurality of slats within a rigid frame. The slats are placed within the frame by means of a plurality of adapters which fit into a groove in the side pieces of the frame. Projections on the adapters project into the rolled edges of the slats thus permitting the slats to be slid down the grooves in the frame. The adapter may consist of two sections so that the slats may be pivoted with respect to the frame.

United States Patent Economou [54] SHUTTER CONSTRUCTION [72] Inventor: Hercules Economou, 812 NW. 8th

Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33311 [22] Filed: Aug. 6, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 169,682

[52] U.S.'Cl. ..49/74, 49/90, 49/76, 49/371, 52/473, 98/121 A [51] Int. Cl......E05f 17/00, E06b 7/082, E06b 7/084 [58] Field of Search ..49/74-92, 371; 98/121 R, 121 A, 110; 52/473 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 262,929 8/1882 Childs ..49/88 312,051 2/1885 Willer ..49/74 1,582,111 4/1926 Wogan ..49/88 1 Sept. 19, 1972 2,395,319 2/1946 Davies ..49/39 3,381,601 5/1968 McCabe ..49/90 X 3,455,057 7/1969 Baird ..49/74 X Primary Examiner-David J. Williamowsky Assistant Examiner-Philip C. Kannan Attorney-Alvin Browdy and Sheridan Neimark [5 7] ABSTRACT A shutter construction comprising a plurality of slats within a rigid frame. The slats are placed within the frame by means of a plurality of adapters which fit into a groove in the side pieces of the frame. Projections on the adapters project into the rolled edges of the slats thus permitting the slats to be slid down the grooves in the frame. The adapter may consist of two sections so that the slats may be pivoted with respect to the frame.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSEP 19 I972 3.691 687 FIG.

INVENTOR HERCULES ECONOMOU ATTORNEYS SHUTTER CONSTRUCTION The present invention relates to shutters, and more particularly, to the construction of shutters, particularly the kind of shutters known as Bahama shutters. Bahama shutters are shutters having a rigid frame holding a plurality of slats therein. They can be placed beside a window or be moved in front of a window to afford protection during storms.

Various methods are used in the prior art to apply the slats to the frame. They may be individually fastened to the frame, slid through individual holes in the side of the frame, or plugged into individual grooves in the frame. All of these methods have shortcomings including the fact that each slot must be carefully fitted into place.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to overcome the defects of the prior art, such as indicated above.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved shutter construction which is sturdy, inexpensive and highly effective.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved method of fabrication of a Bahama shutter.

The construction of the present invention is an improvement on all of the above described prior art Referring to FIG. 2 it is seen according to one embodiment of the present invention that the side piece devices. The slats are simply and easily slid into place.

A rigid frame isused with a vertical groove running longitudinally down the inside of the frame from top to bottom on both sides. This groove holds a plurality of adapters, which consist of a nylon strip which fits in the groove and a short crossbar which may be integrally attached to the strip. The crossbar is the same width as the slats and has a pair of projections integral therewith which engage the rolled ends of the slat.

Thus, each slat is fitted with an adapter on each end and then is fitted into the groove and. slid down to the bottom of the shutter. This is a simple method of constructing Bahama shutters and allows control of the slats by controlling the angle of the crossbar in the manufacture of the adapter. Furthermore, the distance between each shutter is controlled by the length of the strip portion of the adapter.

This and other embodiments of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the drawings, in which: i

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shutter according to the present invention in place on a window;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary exploded views of other embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the shutter having a connecting bar attached to the slats.

A typical Bahama shutter is shown in FIG. 1. A rigid frame composed of side pieces 11 and 12 and top and bottom pieces 13 and 14 carries a plurality of slats 15. The shutter 10 is emplaced on the exterior wall 16 of the structure desired to be protected, e.g. in front of a window.

If desired, the shutter 10 may be provided with an adjusting feature whereby it can be pivoted from the bottom and held in place by a telescoping arm 17. Further, the shutter 10 may be arranged on a track 18 so that it can be slid to either side of the window. Rows of vents 19 may be punched in the slats for ventilation and the passage therethrough of light.

12 has a longitudinal groove 20 on the inside center thereof. An adapter 21 is constructed to fit within the groove 20 and be slidable therein. The adapter 21 is advantageously a one-piece molding and s preferably constructed of nylon or some other suitable material which has good strength and yet is inexpensive in its final molded form.

The adapter 21 consists of a strip section 22 designed to fit within groove 20 and a crossbar section 23 integral with strip 22. The crossbar 23 is approximately the same length as the slat 15 and is aligned at an angle with the vertical (i.e., the longitudinal axis of strip 22) which has been predetermined to be the appropriate angle for the slats 15 in the finished shutter 10. Projections 24 integrally extend from the crossbar 23 and are adapted to fit into rolled ends 25 of these slats 15. It can thus be seen that if the adapters 21 are fitted into rolled ends 25 of both sides of each slat 15, the slats 15 may easily be inserted into grooves 20 in frame side pieces 11 and 12 via the nylon strip 22 of adapters 21 and slid into place.

Another embodiment of the present invention is seen in FIG. 3. Side pieces 11 and 12 are again constructed with longitudinal grooves 20 and a nylon strip 26 is constructed to slidably fit into each such groove 20. A hole 27 is molded into the center of each strip 26, into which a separate crossbar 28 is adapted to fit via a projection 29. The size of projection 29 relative to hole 27 is designed such that a tight fit between the crossbar section 28 and the strip 26 is obtained. In this manner, the angle of crossbar section 28 can be set manually and will remain indefinitely due to. friction.

Projections '31 are integrally attached to the ends of the bar 30 of integrally section 28 and fit into rolled ends 25 of slats 15. Besides being able to manually set the desired angle of slats 15 with this embodiment, there is a further advantage: only a single set of strips 26 and crossbars 28 need be constructed and they will fit on both sides 11 and 12 of the shutter 10; with the integral embodiment of FIG. 2, on the other hand, both right-hand and left-hand adapters 21 are necessary.

Referring to the embodiment of FIG. 4, there is shown a strip 32 constructed to slidably fit into the groove 12 of side pieces 11 and 12. Hole 36, with rises 35 similar to the teeth of a gear, passes through the strip 32. A serrated projection 38 having teeth 39 is integrally connected to a crossbar section 37 whereby the projection 38 snugly fits into hole 36. The teeth 39 of projection 38 intermesh with rises 35 of hole 36 in such a manner that the crossbar 37 is held at whatever angle it is set.

The slat 15, which is fitted onto bar 40 of crossbar 37 by way of projections 41, may be pivoted to another angle, however, in which case the nylon teeth 39 and rises 36 perform a ratchet-like function allowing projection 38 to rotate in steps. The interrneshing teeth maintain the slat l5 and hold it firmly in place at any angle at which it is set. Preferably a channel 33 is provided at the back of each strip 32.so that the hole 36 is not too long; this ensures that an excessive amount of force will not be necessary to rotate the slat 15 in hole 36.

The assembled shutter 10 as seen in FIG. 5 may have a bar 42 attached to each slat 15 by means of fastener 43. This bar 42 affords total control of all slats 15 at one time. The bar 42 may advantageously be placed on the outside of the shutter as shown on the side facing the window so that it may be adjusted from inside. If desired for added strength, a round bar 44, seen in H0. 3, may be inserted in the lower part of slats to provide reinforcement adjacent the bar 42.

ltcan be seen that a much simplified construction of Bahama shutters can be accomplished by the present invention. Instead of fitting each slat into individual grooves in the shutter frame, a single groove with individual nylon adapters for each slat is provided. Furthermore, this construction lends itself with minor modifications to the possibility of setting the slats at any desirable angle to allow varied amounts of light to enter or to afford total privacy.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications or equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A shutter for use in combination with a wall opening and adapted to be positioned in overlying relation to the wall opening, comprising:

a peripheral frame comprising two side pieces, a top piece and a bottom piece, said side pieces having longitudinal grooves therein, said grooves opening toward one another;

a plurality of adapters each having a strip section and a crossbar section, said strip section slidably fitting into one of said grooves and said crossbar section having two slat projections thereon; and

a plurality of slats having rolled edges, said slat projections on said crossbar section of said adapters fitting into the rolled edges of said slats.

2. A shutter in accordance with claim 1, wherein said crossbar section is integral with said strip sections on each of said adapters.

3. A shutter in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said adapters comprise two separate pieces, one being said strip section and the other being said crossbar section and wherein said strip section has a hole therein and said crossbar section has a pivotal projection thereon, said pivotal projection fitting into said hole in said strip section.

4. A shutter in accordance with claim 3 wherein:

said hole in said strip section is round and said pivotal projection on said crossbar section is round and said hole and said pivotal projection are of a size relative to one another such that said pivotal projection fits tightly into said hole and said crossbar section will be held by friction at any set rotational position.

S. A shutter in accordance with claim 3wherein:

said hole is generally round with a plurality of rises around the circumference thereof, and said pivotal projection is generally round in cross-section with a plurality of teeth on the circumference thereof, said teeth of said pivotal projection being adapted to intermesh with said rises of said hole such that said crossbar will be held in any set rotational posi- 6. A liutter in accordance with claim 5 wherein said strip section and said crossbar section are constructed of a rigid but yieldable plastic such that said pivotal projection may be rotated within said hole, said teeth and said rises acting as a ratchet mechanism to hold said crossbar at any set rotational position.

7. A shutter in accordance with claim 3 further including:

a bar attached to each of said slats for controlling the rotational position of all of said slats at one time.

8. A shutter in accordance with claim 7 wherein said bar is located on the side of the shutter closest to the wall opening.

9. A shutter in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

each of said slats has a plurality of vents therein for light and ventilation. 

1. A shutter for use in combination with a wall opening and adapted to be positioned in overlying relation to the wall opening, comprising: a peripheral frame comprising two side pieces, a top piece and a bottom piece, said side pieces having longitudinal grooves therein, said grooves opening toward one another; a plurality of adapters each having a strip section and a crossbar section, said strip section slidably fitting into one of said grooves and said crossbar section having two slat projections thereon; and a plurality of slats having rolled edges, said slat projections on said crossbar section of said adapters fitting into the rolled edges of said slats.
 2. A shutter in accordance with claim 1, wherein said crossbar section is integral with said strip sections on each of said adapters.
 3. A shutter in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said adapters comprise two separate pieces, one being said strip section and the other being said crossbar section and wherein said strip section has a hole therein and said crossbar section has a pivotal projection thereon, said pivotal projection fitting into said hole in said strip section.
 4. A shutter in accordance with claim 3 wherein: said hole in said strip section is round and said pivotal projection on said crossbar section is round and said hole and said pivotal projection are of a size relative to one another such that said pivotal projection fits tightly into said hole and said crossbar section will be held by friction at any set rotational position.
 5. A shutter in accordance with claim 3 wherein: said hole is generally round with a plurality of rises around the circumference thereof, and said pivotal projection is generally round in cross-section with a plurality of teeth on the circumference thereof, said teeth of said pivotal projection being adapted to intermesh with said rises of said hole such that said crossbar will be held in any set rotational position.
 6. A shutter in accordance with claim 5 wherein said strip section and said crossbar section are constructed of a rigid but yieldable plastic such that said pivotal projection may be rotated within said hole, said teeth and said rises acting as a ratchet mechanism to hold said crossbar at any set rotational position.
 7. A shutter in accordance with claim 3 further including: a bar attached to each of said slats for controlling the rotational position of all of said slats at one time.
 8. A shutter in accordance with claim 7 wherein said bar is located on the side of the shutter closest to the wall opening.
 9. A shutter in accordance with claim 1 wherein: each of said slats has a plurality of vents therein for light and ventilation. 